WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FIT­NESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMO­TIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERYSITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN REN­DERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE ISREQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUB­LISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANI­ZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OFFURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMA­TION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READ­ERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED ORDISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ.

For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact ourCustomer Care Department within the U.S. at 800-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002.Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not beavailable in electronic books.Library of Congress Control Number: 2004101049ISBN: 0-7645-5812-9Manufactured in the United States of America10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 11V/SS/QT/QU/IN

About the Authors

Larry Ullman is the Director of Digital Media Technologies at DMC Insights, Inc., a firmspecializing in information technology. He is the author of four other computer books. Inaddition to writing, Larry develops dynamic Web applications, conducts training semi­nars, and is an Extension Instructor for the University of California at Berkeley. He’s beenworking with Apple computers for more than 20 years, starting with the Apple IIe back inthe dark (or monochrome) ages.When he’s not tinkering on his Mac, he spends his time reading, working on his fixerupper of a house, and, given the time, napping in front of the fireplace. Larry currentlylives outside of Washington, D.C., with his wife of eight years, Jessica.Marc Liyanage is a senior software engineer at futureLAB AG, a research and developmentcompany focusing on emerging Internet, telecommunications, and wireless technologies.He’s been using and programming Macintosh computers professionally for 15 years fordesktop publishing, video and TV screen design, and software development. He’s beena UNIX user and software engineer for the past eight years in the Internet/ISP industry,doing commercial Web application work and large-scale ISP systems design and imple­mentation using open source software packages. He has also taught classes on XML andtrained junior software engineers.He’s been a Mac OS X user and developer since the first beta versions, and he’s veryexcited about the Panther OS because it brings together the elegance of the Macintoshwith the power of UNIX. In his spare time, he runs the developer-oriented Mac OS X Website www.entropy.ch, writes Cocoa software, and tinkers with his Mac.His spare-time interests include graphic design, typography, and digital photography.He enjoys watching and reading science fiction movies and books. Marc lives in Zurich,Switzerland.

Dedication

We dedicate this book to the good people at Apple. Thanks for designing wicked hard­ware, putting out the best operating system we’ve ever used (that’d be Panther), givingaway some top-notch software, and for demonstrating that there’s nothing wrong with acomputer that’s cool, feature-rich, secure, and stable.Marc would like to also dedicate this book to his mother, Martina.

Authors’ Acknowledgments

Our thanks to Wiley and to Carole McClendon at Waterside.

As always, thanks to Jess for her support and willingness to listen to me complain.

A special shout-out to David S. just for being a swell guy.

Thanks to my excellent co-author, Marc, both for his much-needed assistance with this

book as well as for the copious amount of work and support he has done for the Mac OS X

platform over the years.

Last but not least, my sincerest gratitude goes out to you, the reader.

—Larry UllmanFirst and foremost, big thanks to Larry Ullman for inviting me to join him on this bookproject and for being a great guy to work with. I enjoyed every minute and learned a loton the way.Thanks to my friends at futureLAB for making this the best work place in the world!Finally, thanks to my brother Andy for being a great friend.—Marc Liyanage

Publisher’s AcknowledgmentsWe’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online regis­tration form located at www.dummies.com/register/.Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Introducing ExposéHow to Get the Most out of ExposéDragging and dropping with ExposéUsing Exposé without the mouse

103

106

107

109

Part III: Handling Files (And

Other Stuff) Quickly

111

Technique 14: Organizing Your

Home Directory

113

Your Stuff, Your Home Directory, and YouChecking Out Your LibraryA Cluttered Desktop Is a Sign of a Cluttered

MindRevisiting Our Friend, the Dock

Technique 15: Managing Aliases,Favorites, and Icons

113

116

118

120

122

Also Known As: Working with AliasesThese are a few of my Favorites thingsIf you can, icon

122

125

126

Technique 16: Managing InformationEffectively

130

Getting to Know the Address BookCustomizing the TemplateCreating Your Own vCardCreating and Using GroupsUsing the New Group From Selection toolCreating a group manuallyDuplicating an existing groupOther Cool Address Book TricksOrganizing and Prioritizing InformationStoring random bits of data as StickiesPrioritizing with to-do listsGetting organized with outlining applications

Technique 17: Working with FilesUnderstanding a File’s PropertiesThe General panelThe Name & Extension panel

130

131

133

135

135

136

137

137

139

139

140

140

141

141

142

143

Table of Contents

The Open With panelThe Preview panelThe Ownership & Permissions panelThe Comments panelSolving Common File ProblemsDeleting locked filesEjecting stuck disk imagesFinding the original for an aliasSharing files with another OS

145

145

146

147

148

148

148

149

149

Launching with the DockOther Ways to Launch ApplicationsFavorites and aliasesRecent ItemsLaunching with Shareware ToolsUsing LaunchBar

FilesPruning your Home directoryThinning out no-longer-required applicationsCleaning out your System and Library foldersCleaning other volumesDiet Tools: Third-Party ApplicationsHands-Off: What Not to Trash

Technique 21: LaunchingApplications FastAuto-launching with the Accounts PanelLaunching with the Finder

151

160

161

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164

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xi

Opening Files with the FinderOpening Files with Specific ApplicationsUsing the Window navigational barto open filesUsing the Dock to open filesUsing Favorites to open filesOpening files with a contextual menuUsing LaunchBarOpening Files within an ApplicationRecalling Recent ItemsRecalling files from the Apple menuRecalling files from application menusSetting the Default Application for Files

Technique 25: Cut, Copy, PasteCopying and Pasting with the Keyboardand MouseUnderstanding the ClipboardCopy and Paste Tips and TricksClipboard shareware optionsCopying items within the FinderUsing the Find Clipboard

Managing Bookmarks in SafariBookmarking a pageUsing the Bookmarks windowUsing the Bookmarks menuWorking with the Bookmarks BarSetting bookmark preferences in SafariAccessing Safari BookmarksSharing Bookmarks across BrowsersBookmark Tips and Tricks

238240240241241242243243244

Technique 31: Speedy Searcheswith Google

245

Doing Basic Google SearchesDoing Advanced Google SearchesDoing Specialized Google SearchesSearching Google with SafariGoogle Tips and TricksGoogle, the dictionaryGoogle, the mathematicianGoogle, the unit converterGoogle, the linguistGoogle, the investorGoogle, the cartographerGoogle, the (fill in the blank)

Making the iTunes Window Look the WayYou WantManaging Your MusicEditing song informationSearching for tracksCreating playlistsAdding album coversBlowing Your Paycheck at the iTunesMusic Store

Technique 43: Working with iPhotoBest iPhoto PracticesPreferencesCreating a new Photo Album quicklyEditing images with easeWorking with Your Digital LibraryImporting imagesManaging your images more efficientlyStoring your images to save space and timeCreating an Online Photo Album

336338338338339339340

342342342343344345345345346347

Technique 44: Staying on Schedulewith iCal

349

Creating Calendars and EventsiCal’s Main Keyboard ShortcutsBest iCal PracticesSubscribing and PublishingWhere to find subscriptionsPublishing your Calendar with .MacPublish your Calendar without .MaciCal Tips and TricksiCal and MailAppleScriptExploring Alternatives to iCal

Setting Your System PreferencesBurning CDsMaking CDs in the FinderMaking an audio CD in iTunesMaking picture CDs in iPhotoMaking data CDs in Disk UtilityMaking Labels and CoversManaging a Disc Collection

363365365366366367367368

Technique 47: Getting More ThanMusic out of Your iPodUsing the iPod for Data Storage and TransferSecure, Encrypted Storage on the iPodBacking Up Your Data to an iPodUsing .Mac and BackupUsing Carbon Copy ClonerEmergency Rescue iPodSynchronizing with iSyncKeeping Notes on Your iPodUsing Notes on older iPodsOmniOutlinerDriving directionsHousekeeping on the iPodUseful Hardware You Might Consider

Part VIII: Securityand MaintenanceTechnique 48: Better Backupswith rsync and .MacSmart Backupsrsync: Using the Command Line to Back Uprsync syntax optionsBacking up Home to an external hard driveBackup for .Mac UsersGetting started with BackupDeciding what to back upFinalizing the backupOther Backup Options

369369370371372373374374375375375376376377

379381381382383383385385386387388

Table of Contents

Technique 49: Battling VirusesWhat You Should Know about VirusesThings You Can Do to Limit VirusesUsing VirexOther Antivirus Software

What Is Bluetooth?Getting Started with BluetoothSetting Up Your ConnectionWorking with Your Address BookDialing from within Address BookDisplay incoming call alertsSending and receiving SMS messagesDialing Your Phone from a Text Selection

417

418

418

421

421

421

422

423

Synchronizing with iSyncSetting up iSyncYour Cellphone as a Remote ControlStoring Notes and Pictures on a Cellphone

Technique 55: The Terminal,

the Finder, and YouNavigating within the TerminalGetting around in the TerminalTab completionViewing directory contentsNavigating among open Terminal windowsOther commandsTerminal Tips and TricksGetting helpA command of history, or a history

of commandsRole playing: Executing commands as

another userMaking the Terminal and the Finder

Play Together NicelyUsing the open commandDrag and drop with the FinderEditing between the Terminal and the Finder

Technique 60: AppleScript and YouThe Easiest Way to Write ScriptsFour Fabulous Reasons to Use AppleScriptsAppleScript Resources

456

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464

467

468

Technique 61: Entertaining Yourself

with Screen SaversConfiguring Screen Savers in PantherAdding to Your Screen Saver LibraryUsing the Desktop as a Screen Saver

Index

469

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471

473

475

Introduction

W

e’re fairly smart people, and presumably you’re a really smartperson (you are looking at the right book, after all), but it stillseems like technology has eclipsed our ability to understand it.Even the magical Mac — the symbol of all things easy in computers — isoverladen with features and gadgets and pretty lights. Make no mistake:We all like features and gadgets and pretty lights, but how are we supposedto make sense of it all and just do what we want to do, quickly and easily?

By reading this book, of course!But if that isn’t enough to convince you (and we can’t imagine why not;after all, we’ve never lied to you before), take a moment or two to readthrough this Introduction. You’ll see where we’re coming from, what thisbook offers, and how it’ll make you fall in love with your Mac all over again.

Saving Time with This Book

The Timesaving Techniques For Dummies books focus on high-payofftechniques that save you time, either on the spot or somewhere downthe road. And these books get to the point in a hurry, with step-by-stepinstructions to pace you through the tasks you need to do, without anyof the fluff you don’t want. We’ve identified more than 60 Techniques thatMac OS X Panther users need to know to make the most of their time. Inaddition, each Technique includes lots of figures that make followingalong a breeze. Decide for yourself how to use this book: Read it cover tocover if you like, or skip right to the Technique that interests you themost.In Mac OS X Panther Timesaving Techniques For Dummies, you can findout how toߜ Tame time-consuming tasks: Because we demystify the inner workingsof Mac OS X Panther for you, letting you in on more than 60 tips andtricks along the way, you can spend more time on creating great resultsand less time on fiddling with a feature so that it works correctly.

2

Introduction

ߜ Take your skills up a notch: You’re alreadyfamiliar with the basics of using Mac OS X. Nowthis book takes you to the next level, helpingyou become an even savvier Mac user.

ߜ Customize Mac OS X to meet your needs:Spending some upfront time customizing MacOS X so that it works faster, more reliably, andmore like how you work on a daily basis cansave you time (and aggravation) later.

Foolish Assumptions

Every book is written with certain assumptions aboutthe reader, and this one is no exception. Don’t bealarmed: We’re not looking for an advanced degreein computer science or the ability to recall long listsof Mac trivia at parties. What we do expect of youare two things:ߜ A Macintosh, running Panther (Mac OS X v.3):Well, to be perfectly frank, if you aren’t runningPanther (but are running another version of MacOS X), you’ll still be able to get a lot of things outof this book; you just won’t be able to do every­thing this book says you can do. This require­ment is more of a highly advisable suggestion.

ߜ Basic familiarity with your computer: In someways, this is the same kind of For Dummies bookyou’ve come to know and love, but it’s not thekind that shows you how to plug in a printer orsave a document. (It will show you how easy it isto share a printer on a network and how you cansave documents faster, though.) We promise thatyou won’t be overwhelmed by anything in thisbook, but keep in mind that you won’t be spoonfed, either.

Having a fast Internet connection will help you getthe most out of this book, and so will a little extraspending money (but just a little). But neither ofthese are required as long as you have a Mac and awillingness — or a need — to discover how to useyour computer better.

How This Book Is Organized

As devoted Mac users, we’ve amassed a gazillionpieces of useful knowledge. By sheer luck, it turnedout that these little pieces could be organized intoTechniques, which are chapter-like sections groupedby application or the general theory being dis­cussed. These Techniques, it turns out, are sortedinto larger parts, which we’re calling (appropriatelyenough) parts (we’re clever that way). We give youthe highlights as to what the parts are all about here,but remember that you can approach this book howyou want to. Read a part straight through, skip fromTechnique to Technique, or just pick out the littlepieces most relevant to the way you work. This bookhas a structure, but you can be a free thinker. Youown a Mac, after all!

Part I: Starting, Stopping, and RunningYour Mac FasterThis first part of the book focuses exclusively onhow to get the machine and operating system toload and run faster — in other words, how to speedup the process between pushing the power buttonand actually doing anything. While we’re at it, wealso discuss some faster aspects of the installationprocess and the easiest ways to shut down and logout. These might be the basics of using your com­puter, but even here, you find ways to do thingsmore efficiently.

Part II: Optimizing Your InterfaceThis part of the book discusses specific topics suchas files, applications, and so forth. This is the gen­eral guide to doing anything better. The heart of PartII is navigation techniques, both with the keyboardand the mouse. You also discover how to customizethe Finder, windows, and the Dock. All in all, theabsolutely most-universal and most-helpful time­saving techniques are here.

Conventions Used in This Book

3

Part III: Handling Files (And Other Stuff) Quickly

Part VII: Fast and Furious Multimedia

Like a teenager’s closet, your Mac is full of stuff. Whoknows what it all is? Okay, we know, and we thinkyou should, too. Although your hard drive might notyet be bursting, there’s always going to be a lot ofjunk in there. This third part of the book demon­strates how to best organize, manage, and find your(and your computer’s) stuff. You’ll also see how tosave disk space and remove clutter by trashingunnecessary files.

Apple markets itself as the multimedia machine, andwith good reason: The free software that comes withthe operating system is exceptional. In the multi­media section of the book, we take a few of theseapplications and demonstrate how to more effi­ciently use them.

Part IV: Improving Application PerformanceIncluded on your computer (see Part III) areapplications — software that does stuff with otherstuff (not to be too technical about it). You won’tread about any one specific application here butrather pick up some useful knowledge for using anyapplication more efficiently.

Part V: Cranking Up Your Internet ActivitiesAs Homer Simpson says, “They have the Internet oncomputers now.” Well, the man’s never been morecorrect. Accessing e-mail and the World Wide Webare why many people have computers. Most folksspend a decent portion of their computing life in thisrealm. Part V covers Web browsers, performingsearches, using e-mail, and other timesaving onlinetechniques. Tips on managing spam and usingGoogle effectively can save you minutes per day —minutes you could spend surfing the Internet.

Part VI: Optimizing Your NetworkThe networking section of the book is Part V’scounterpart. Although not every user has advancednetworking needs, most could benefit from usinglocations, working with an iDisk, and knowing howto easily connect to other computers when the timecomes.

Part VIII: Security and MaintenanceOkay, so your Mac pretty much takes care of itself.Still, a little TLC couldn’t hurt. Part VIII (that’s eightto you and me) offers you all the motherly adviceyou can use on viruses, creating backups, keepingyour software up-to-date, and the like. Think of thisas the An ounce of prevention is worth a pound ofcure section of the book.

Part IX: The Scary Or Fun StuffWhether you know it or not, your Mac is a powerfulmachine capable of some really, really cool things.The final part of the book strongly emphasizes ourfriend, the Terminal, with a nod given to AppleScript.If you’re looking for something more fun and lessscary, check out the Technique on using your cell­phone with your Mac as well as the one on screensavers.

Conventions Used in This Book

This book, as you’ll soon see, has a lot of visual stuffin it to serve as your roadmap. You know . . . differentfonts and icons, indentations, and a few funny char­acters. Here’s a Rosetta stone as to what they allmean:ߜ Keyboard shortcuts: This book has a healthyamount of keyboard shortcuts in it. These usea conjoining plus sign to indicate that two (ormore) keys should be pressed in harmony. Sowhen you see something like Ô+A (the Select All

4

Introduction

shortcut), you should press and hold Ô, pressA once, and then release both. Something likeControl+click means that you hold down theControl key while clicking the mouse buttononce.

ߜ Menu bar: The menu bar is the thing goingacross the entire top of your window. It has allthe, you know, menus.

These icons reemphasize the timesaving pointbeing made in a certain section. If you don’tfeel like reading through all those pesky wordsand get tired of our trite jokes, look for these.This icon means that you’ve seen this ideabefore, you’ll see this idea again, and youought to keep it in mind. These are publishing’s version of sticky notes.

ߜ Menu sequences: Sequences of menus are refer­enced with an arrow. For example, Go➪RecentFolders means that you should click the Go menu(on the menu bar) and then choose the RecentFolders submenu from there.

For crying out loud, don’t do anything markedwith this icon! If you don’t believe anythingelse that we say, trust us on these warningicons. Think curiosity and cat here and howthat went. You won’t see many warnings inthis book, but when you do, understand thatyou might be about to take an irrevocable step.

ߜ Application menus: When we refer to an applica­tion menu, we mean the menu that has the title ofthe application and appears between the Applemenu and the File menu. So in the Finder, it’scalled Finder; in Microsoft Word, it’s called Word;in iTunes, it’s called iTunes.

ߜ Monospace font: Web sites (URLs) and e-mailaddresses are in their own special monospacefont, which looks like www.apple.com. Onscreenmessages and text in the Terminal also looklike this.

ߜ User entry: Stuff you should type appears in

bold, like this: Type How now, brown cow?.

Icons Used in This Book

This book is littered with lots of little tidbits andnotes, set aside by different icons. In due time,you’ll probably identify the pattern for what eachicon represents, but here’s a quick heads-up.Tips are just extra ideas that we think you’llappreciate. Although not life-altering, tips areour way of saying, “Hey, you know what elseyou could try?”

Comments and Questions

We’d like to think that this book was everything youwanted or needed, and that you have no more com­ments, problems, questions, and the like. But writingcan be a cruel mistress (we don’t know what thatmeans, either, but it sounds bad), and no book isever comprehensive. If you have something to sayor ask, here are some places to turn:ߜ Wiley (www.dummies.com): You can contactWiley, the publisher of this book, at its ForDummies Web site. Feel free to leave all sorts offeedback, including praise (Woo-hoo!), complaints(D’oh!), and requests (that’s okay, too).

ߜ Mac OS X Panther Timesaving Techniques ForDummies, the support forum (www.entropy.ch/mactst/): Marc has established a forum at hisWeb site where you can ask questions about thebook, about us, and about your Mac. Not onlywill we reply (probably faster than we’ll get to ane-mail), but you’ll also hear what other readershave to say.

ߜ E-mail the authors: If you’d like to contactus directly, you can e-mail us at mactst@dmcinsights.com. Although we do respond to

5

every e-mail we receive, there’s no guaranteeinghow quickly that’ll happen. Don’t get us wrong:We absolutely appreciate the feedback, but thereare only so many hours in the day.

Keep in mind that normally the quickest way toanswer a general Mac question is to search Google.Also, if you’re having problems with a particularapplication, you’ll have the best luck contacting themanufacturer of that application. But still, if youdrop us a line via one of the above methods, trustthat we’ll do our best to help out.